Want to Learn Scuba Diving? Advice for Beginners

Posted by West Coast Adventures - Scuba diving in India on January 21st, 2017

Do you have a thirst for adventure? If the answer is yes, scuba diving is for you. In this article, we have mentioned few useful tips that you can consider when learning scuba diving.

Where to start?

The best way of finding a reliable dive center is to ask for recommendations. As your friends, family or extended social network for advice. Even online review sites can be of great help in choosing the right center. Don’t rule out a center just because it has two to three negative reviews. Look for center with a high rating.

Determine what is important for you

You need to decide what is more important to you- do you want a center that offers training at the lowest price or a center that only trains a small group at a time. You need to make a list of amenities that you would want in the dive center. This list will help you in narrowing down your choices.

Once you have shortlisted few names, you need to call or visit the center and make a final decision. Make sure you ask as many questions as you can. Scuba diving is an adventurous activity but it can be quite risky if you are not getting trained by experts. The instructors at the dive center should be licensed and certified to offer you training.

When you enter the center, you should feel welcome. The staff should seem enthusiastic to help you learn scuba diving. The responses you receive should be helpful for you.

The way a dive trip is organized is also very important. If the trip is chaotic and badly organized, it will not be a fun experience for you. Ask for the boats used by the dive center. If the dive site is close, a small and simple boat would do just fine. But if you will be travelling further to reach the site, make sure the center has a well-maintained boat for the same.

You also need to consider the size of the dive group the center trains at a time. For instance, if scuba courses are provided to a small group, the instructors will be able to give equal attention to each student, helping them learn diving skills in the best possible manner.  

Finding a Dive Shop

As mentioned-above, you can shortlist dive shops on the basis of some research. Besides asking for recommendations and looking for reviews on the internet, you can also expand your research to YouTube channel and social media platforms. This will help you in keeping a track of what the dive shops do on the daily, which sites they frequent and so on.

When you visit their office, ask them questions regarding rental gear, experience level of their instructors, standard of equipment and so on. If possible, talk to other divers you see at the shop. Question them about their refund and cancellation policies and whether or not they offer any interesting specialties.